Islamic Republic of Iran

State · 1979–2026 CE · at its largest around 1987 CE

A theocratic republic founded after the 1979 revolution overthrew the shah, led first by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. It fought a long war with Iraq in the 1980s and is governed under a Supreme Leader.

On its lands while it lasted

Ruhollah Khomeini (c. 1902 CE – 1989 CE): A Shia cleric who led the Iranian Revolution from exile and became Iran's first Supreme Leader.
Saddam Hussein (1937 CE – 2006 CE): President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003 who led wars against Iran and Kuwait; after the 2003 invasion he was captured, tried and executed.
Iranian Revolution (1978–1979 CE): Mass protests overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and Ruhollah Khomeini returned from exile to found the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Iran hostage crisis (1979–1981 CE): Iranian students seized the US embassy in Tehran and held 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage for 444 days.
Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988 CE): Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Iran, starting an eight-year war of attrition that killed hundreds of thousands and ended in stalemate.
Halabja chemical attack (1988 CE): Iraqi forces attacked the Kurdish town of Halabja with chemical weapons, killing between 3,200 and 5,000 people, mostly civilians.
Gulf War (1990–1991 CE): Iraq invaded and annexed Kuwait; a US-led coalition authorized by the United Nations expelled Iraqi forces in early 1991.
Iraq War (2003–2011 CE): A US-led coalition invaded Iraq and overthrew Saddam Hussein's government, followed by years of insurgency and sectarian conflict.
Burj Khalifa (2010 CE): Opened in Dubai in 2010, the 828-metre skyscraper is the tallest building in the world.
Twelve-Day War (2025 CE): Israel struck Iranian nuclear and military sites on 13 June 2025 and Iran answered with missile barrages on Israel. The United States bombed the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites before a ceasefire on 24 June.